National Day/ Minister of Endowments: Qatar National Day an occasion to enhance values of loyalty and belonging

HE Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ghanem bin Shaheen Al Ghanem considered the National Day of the State an occasion to enhance the values of loyalty and belonging to this generous country, and a renewed and continuous covenant with the fathers who built the nation and the lofty values on which they laid the foundations of the modern State of Qatar.His Excellency added, in a special statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the occasion of Qatar National Day, that the National Day is a distinctive day in the lives of the people of Qatar for what it represents in terms of meanings of unity and harmony among all who live on this good land. It recalls the journey of a state full of pride, proud of the glories of the past and the achievements of the present and filled with hope for a bright future, His Excellency said, adding that on this day, the people of Qatar remember the importance of unity and solidarity, and the spirit of national identity that unites the spectrum of the people under one banner is strengthened in them. The National Day is an opportunity to affirm the commitment to continue the path of development and progress that the founder began.His Excellency reviewed the various and numerous achievements made by the different departments of the Ministry, as the Ministry of Endowments adopted a clear vision consistent with its mission and competencies, within the framework of its organizational structure and its national commitments and responsibilities towards Qatar National Vision 2030, by communicating the call and spreading Islamic culture using all means, sites and platforms, according to a moderate approach, and working to update and develop programs so that these efforts result in strengthening immunization, prevention and protecting young people, youth and girls in society from ideas of deviation and extremism. His Excellency added that the Ministry held educational lessons and preaching lectures in mosques and preaching centers in all regions of the country, and held qualification courses to develop imams, muezzins, preachers, muftis and others, believing in their effective role in advancing the values and morals of members of society.His Excellency the Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs noted that within the framework of the country's architectural expansion, the Ministry has opened dozens of mosques in a number of regions and centers for teaching the Holy Quran, underlining the Ministry's keenness to activate the message of the mosque and its care and supervision, pointing to the expansion of the scope of the spread of the culture of endowments and social solidarity in Qatar under the slogan "Endowment is a Community Partnership." The General Administration of Endowments has strengthened the partnership with governmental and civil entities, His Excellency said, noting that the demand for new endowments and the number of endowments from the people of Qatar has increased, endowment resources have diversified, and a number of major endowment projects have been opened, the latest of which was laying the foundation stone for three endowment projects in Lusail City.His Excellency highlighted the contribution of Zakat revenues in helping and supporting families in need in Qatar through the Zakat Affairs Department, in accordance with the legal controls and expenditures. In the field of religious advocacy and guidance, the Ministrys programs have expanded and diversified, and educational lessons and advocacy lectures have been held in all regions of the country, and qualifying courses have been held in the fields of advocacy and Islamic sciences, as the Ministry of Endowments attaches great importance to programs for developing imams, muezzins, preachers, muftis and legal exorcists. Quran teaching centers also continued their programs in caring for people of Quran of all ages, males and females. In the field of electronic advocacy, the number of visitors to the Islamic Network website /Islamweb/ has increased in all the services it provides to the public in different parts of the world and in five languages; such as the Islamic library, consultations and legal fatwas.HE Minister Ghanem bin Shaheen Al Ghanem said that the Department of Islamic Affairs has published authenticated heritage books in many areas of Islamic knowledge, and distributed thousands of copies to researchers, students and entities.It has also distributed the Qatar Mushaf to individuals and institutions inside and outside Qatar, and participated in many advocacy, educational and cultural projects abroad in a number of Arab, Islamic and European countries, as well as in the Americas, which included supporting the establishment of mosques, schools, Quran houses, and Islamic and cultural centers.HE the Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs said that the Department of Islamic Research and Studies continued to organize the Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al-Thani International Waqf Award, issue the notebook calendar and the Book of the Nation series, and establish its branches in memorizing the Book of Allah, which included the branches of the buds, the guided ones, the school recitation, the entire Holy Quran, and the categories, and contribute to sponsoring and supporting a number of external Quranic competitions in several countries around the world, while the Sheikh Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud Islamic Cultural Centre strengthened its message as an authentic cultural window to highlight the eternal tolerance of Islam and the customs and traditions of the generous Qatari people.His Excellency expressed the keenness of the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs to develop its strategic plan (2023-2030) in line with the third national strategy of the State and Qatar National Vision 2030, as it relied on developing its strategic plan through a balance between keeping pace with modernity and development and preserving the national identity and virtuous values derived from the teachings of Islam and the good values of Qatari society, especially with regard to the youth, children and women sector, through implementing awareness and guidance programs that include all categories, and are based on the principle of results-based planning, which allows for an accurate assessment of the impact of these programs and the development of plans to continuously improve them, in a way that enhances their connection to their Qatari culture and Islamic values, and takes into account the dialogue of civilizations and the consolidation of moderate, middle-of-the-road thought according to a balanced approach based on the Book of God and the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet, and enhancing communication with expatriate communities in Qatari society in ways that are consistent with our value heritage and encourage mutual understanding and respect and their positive integration into society, while working to balance between meeting the needs of Qatari society in the present and the aspirations of the future generation within the framework of the states ambition and determination in Achieving leadership, using the best global practices, standards and modern technologies; to ensure the provision of innovative and sustainable services that serve various segments of society.His Excellency pointed out that the Ministry had taken into account that this strategy should be the basis for launching towards a disciplined and well-established institutional system based on governance, capacity building, and the development and rationalization of available resources, which contributes to improving the quality of life and enhancing the concepts of religious, social and cultural values, as its new strategy focused on digital transformation and artificial intelligence as one of its priorities, and working to develop integrated smart electronic platforms that facilitate access to various services faster and more effectively, and support various development fields, foremost of which are the fields of social protection and sustainable development, in addition to fields related to the management of religious affairs and the governance of zakat and endowments, and enhancing communication and cooperation with Islamic countries and Muslim minorities around the world and playing a positive role in supporting those communities, in addition to enhancing the Ministry's contribution to implementing projects of other national development sectors. (QNA)